


Slow Dance

by Iloveyou_3000



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Dancing, Songfic, Sparring, but set in canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28192545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iloveyou_3000/pseuds/Iloveyou_3000
Summary: “I’ll teach you how to dance.”Zuko spluttered.“I am the exiled crown prince of a nation that nearly controls the world. I am trained in more than six different martial art styles. I have led armies into battle and come out victorious before I was seventeen. And you want to teach me to dance?” Before he could express his utter disdain for her suggestion, Katara grabbed his hands in her own, pulling him towards her with half a meter of space in between.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 69





	Slow Dance

**Author's Note:**

> Fic inspired by the song 'slow dance' by AJ Mitchell and Ava Max. Enjoy!

_Maybe I shouldn’t have accepted Katara’s offer to spar_. 

The thought ran through his brain once more as another kick landed to his shoulder, forcing him to give up what precious space in the courtyard he had left. 

_Especially sans-bending._

They had been sparring for about fifteen minutes now, with Katara gaining the upper hand for the past five. Each hit pushed him back step by step, smoky dust arising from where his feet pressed against the ground.

If only he could just find an opening, even a small one. A hefty punch to his stomach destabilised his stance. Even whilst staggering, he could see in his peripheral vision Katara’s leg heading towards him at an alarming speed. He lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, remembering this attack from before.

There should be an opening right about -

\- now.

A swift, precise jab with his right arm sent the darker-skinned girl backwards ten meters, allowing him to reclaim the floor she stole. The only downside, they were back to where they started.

Zuko planted his bare feet firmly on the stone floor, watching through a careful gaze as she gave herself time to recover. He ignored the strange feeling as he felt Katara run her eyes over his Shaolin forward stance as she settled into her more basic and aggressive Muay Thai stance. They both released ragged breaths, stamina starting to deplete.

 _Ever the tribal warrior,_ he thought, before finding himself on the defensive again; trading jab for kick, twist for turn. Katara indeed was a formidable opponent.

Thankfully they managed to close off the section of the estate for their spar, earning them a chance to hone their hand-to-hand combat skills away from the prying eyes of their companions. While the match would be entertaining if anyone were watching, it was becoming quite repetitive. Every five minutes that passed, the upper hand switched.

So, Zuko decided to spice it up a bit.

He slid into the Changquan form, tracking her eyes as she realised his motive behind the change in stance.

“I didn’t think you, of all people, would know Wushu.”

Zuko simply smirked.

“I’m full of surprises.” He let her get half a laugh out before launching into a flurry of kicks and strikes, presuming to gain the upper hand swiftly. He should have known to expect the unexpected with Katara, of all people.

Instead of falling prey to a quick feint, Katara called him on every bluff, meeting his actual strikes head-on in a series of silk-like movements. 

When they separated, Zuko didn’t know what to make of the warm tingle in his stomach as he stared at her mischievous eyes. As she opened her mouth, he thought they were about to return to trading verbal blows, as most of their matches went. The words that came out of her mouth were nothing like what he expected.

“Do you not know how to dance?” Pure inquisitiveness took the place of the competitive focus that filled her eyes mere seconds ago, although Zuko could tell she was still alert.

Eyes narrowed, Zuko straightened his spine in response, expecting an attack. When she didn’t immediately leap at him, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“I mean,” She elaborated, “Wushu, while it is a defensive form of martial art, is best honed when you have an understanding of dance.” 

Katara crept towards him slowly, hands hung loosely by her side. Zuko remained tense, preparing for a surprise attack. Sensing he was yet to believe their fight was over, Katara held her hands, showing him that whatever fight had occurred was now over.

Rolling his shoulders, Zuko allowed Katara to approach him until she stood less than a meter away. He let his muscles relax as she moved through a basic Wushu kata, a blocky form that somehow flowed like water. It was mesmerising to watch.

Katara looked over to his bewildered face when she repeated the exercise, gentle smile written on her face. 

“Now, you try.” She prompted, resetting herself so he could copy.

Zuko tried to be as relaxed as her, but the kata just came out as a set of rigid movements, causing Katara to bend over with laughter. Instead of going through the steps slower, she walked until she was right below his nose. Placing her hands on his arms, she repositioned them until they were to her liking, while Zuko tried his best to control his breathing.

 _Has she always been this short_?

How is it that only now, he noticed how her head barely brushed his chin as she backed away? At least, it allowed Zuko’s heart rate to return to a resemblance of normality.

“Try now.” 

Swallowing hard, he moved through the katas, desperate to get them right. If not for him, for her. She needed the win after today. Even with his persistence, the movements still came out stiffer than the yellow stones that tiled the roof around the open courtyard.

Katara’s shoulders sank, leading Zuko to sigh in disappointment. Suddenly, she brightened up, struck light lightning with an idea.

“I’ll teach you how to dance.”

Zuko spluttered. 

“I am the exiled crown prince of a nation that nearly controls the world. I am trained in more than six different martial art styles. I have led armies into battle and come out victorious before I was seventeen. And you want to teach me to _dance_?” Before he could express his utter disdain for her suggestion, Katara grabbed his hands in her own, pulling him towards her with half a meter of space in between.

“If I do recall, oh exalted prince, we managed to slip away from you and your so-called armies,” Katara scrunched her face up as she revisited ugly memories, “many, _many_ times.”

Before he could offer up the retort that was sitting on his tongue, Katara pressed on, apparently determined to teach him to dance.

“The thing you want to remember when dancing is to be light on your feet,” she moved up and down on her toes in demonstration. “You also want to make sure your legs are controlled but relaxed.” He tried to hide his quick intake of breath as she used her leg to widen his stoic stance, the space between the lessening.

He felt a twinge of disappointment when she removed her hands from his, only for his pulse to skyrocket as she closed their distance with a decisive step, placing one of his hands on her back, the other securely interlaced in her grip. Trying not to let his nervousness show, Zuko met her inquisitive stare, both hesitant to move and make a wrong step, and desperate to evade the tension building between them like a brewing storm.

As if she felt his internal dilemma, Katara started moving.

“We’ll start with a basic waltz. It’s a little more complicated then what we’d normally teach beginners in my tribe, but you’re a fast learner.” Carefully, she showed him by directing and controlling his every move until Zuko started to understand how to move and make it feel natural.

Eventually, he was able to look up from his feet, confident that he wouldn’t step on her feet. Maybe that was a bad idea. Zuko became lost in her eyes. The joy they held as they twirled around the fire-lit courtyard, finally having a carefree moment, the stress of their busy lives dissolving into the air. The background blurred out, and time seemed to slow down as they danced without music. Although, in Zuko’s opinion, Katara’s laugh was music enough.

“You pick this up pretty quickly, sifu hotman.” Zuko groaned at the nickname, much to her obvious delight.

“Do you _have_ to call me that?” This time, it was her turn to smirk.

“Of course.” He rolled his eyes in turn.

“Do you think it’s time to move onto a new dance then?” He asked after a moment.

Katara paused in her movements, thinking, causing him to do the same. 

Only then did he realise how close they had gotten during their dance. There was only a hairsbreadth between them, even less when their breathing patterns coincided. 

“There is one other dance that at your pitiful skill level-” 

“Hey-”

“- which would be a slow dance.” 

_Wait._

He’s pretty sure he knows what a slow dance is, and the significance of it. Judging by the colour bleeding its way onto Katara’s face, he was right. For the first time that night, she started to show hesitation.

“I mean if only if you want to - not that you wouldn’t want to - and it’s completely your choice and -”

“Yeah.” He interrupted her ramblings, voice quiet. “We can try that slow-dance thing. If you want.”

Zuko watched, the corners of his lips turned up slightly as she opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to form words after her ramble. In the end, Katara decided vocal instructions were not working and resolved to place her hands around Zuko’s neck after directing his hands to her waist.

“So… what happens now.” 

Katara looked up at him, a small grin on her face.

“We dance.” Before Zuko could protest at her lack of instructions, she started moving. There was no real pattern, just sway here and sway there, but there was still a rhythm present. Whether that be a rhythm they created in their minds or through their hearts was up for debate.

One step, two steps. 

One slide, two turns.

Somewhere along the way, Katara’s head had made itself home on Zuko’s chest, any air between them long gone. He also found he didn’t mind the way he stepped on her toe, causing her to move a little closer to him. He just prayed to whatever deity would listen to him that she didn’t hear the pounding in his chest.

Moonlight filtered into the courtyard. Soon, Zuko realised he had shut his eyes. Opening them, he saw most of the lamps had been blown out by the faint breeze that sifted through the room, making him grateful for the protection the fire-nation shift gave _._

He looked down to where Karata’s arm crossed over his.

He had to admit, he liked the look of his pale skin against her darker one, liked the way she seemed to fit against him. Which is why we felt bitter disappointment as she pulled away. He missed the contempt smile etched onto her face; instead, he found himself staring directly into her eyes.

It didn’t register with him that they had stopped swaying around the square, and were now standing still, foreheads supporting one another. Painfully slow, Katara dragged her eyes up to his face. When they met, Zuko dragged in a ragged breath of air, barely noting she did the same.

They held eye-contact for some time.

Zuko stared into her eyes and prayed to whatever deity that would listen that Katara didn’t notice how fast his heart was beating. Or if she did, that she wouldn’t realise what it meant. He had just fixed things between them, he didn’t need to screw it up that quickly.

A quick breeze brought him out of his head and back to reality. He glanced into Katara’s eyes once more.

They were large. _Were they that large when we started?_

She seemed impossible closer. _Could she....?_

He didn’t know who moved first. Probably Katara. She was always the braver, more daring of the two.

It was a blissful eternity that didn’t last half as long as he would have liked. Lips pressed against each other, a slow push and pull, like yin and yang Zuko felt his blood rush around his body at hastening speed, all while a sense of calm washed over him. His lips parted above hers willingly as they kissed, every other part of them as still as the stars watching from above. 

Breathing heavily as they parted, Zuko rested his head on hers, relishing in the smile on Katara’s lips and light flush on her cheeks that most likely mirrored his own.

_Maybe sparring with Katara wasn’t a bad idea after all._

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! Feel free to leave a kudos and comment, it really makes my day!


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